


Identity Crisis

by annewritesstuff



Series: The Adventures of the Tree Friends [2]
Category: VAST (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Episode Tag, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 17:04:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13745445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annewritesstuff/pseuds/annewritesstuff
Summary: The encounter with the Corsairs has left Noble Defender more than a little shaken. Tkaah gives him some simple advice on how to deal with some things weighing on his mind.





	Identity Crisis

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that most of this short story is built on a foundation of personal head canon and should not be considered canon unless those who have the power to do so make it canon. The entire VAST universe was created by Jackson Lanzing and his Writing Crew of 7. Nydar belongs to Ray Utarnachitt, Noble Defender belongs to Dylan DoVale and Tkaah belongs to Jody Houser. This was written for the express purpose of offloading my brain of my personal head canon and no profit will made henceforth.

Noble Defender was nowhere to be found by most people. Shortly after the encounter with the Corsair captain, once the fleet had been assimilated, the pilot had retreated without saying a word to anyone. Not even Tkaah could get him to talk. She assumed that he would be exactly where she would always find him but when she went to check, there was no response.

“Noble, I know you're up there somewhere. Is everything okay?”

Behind her, Nydar was floating and scanning. He said and did nothing though as Tkaah continued to appeal to Noble Defender. 

“We were looking at rebuilding our systems and putting the Screaming Valor back together. We need all hands on deck.”

Up above, in one of the highest trees in the room, Noble Defender was hidden amongst the foliage, a shell of his usual self. There was so much to process and he was struggling to wrap his mind around it all.

“If you’d like some therapy, I could help with that,” Nydar offered tentatively, sensing Noble Defender’s presence in the room.

“Go away, Nydar! I’d like to be left alone!” came Noble Defender’s vehement outburst.

Tkaah zeroed in on the source of the voice then glanced over her shoulder at Nydar. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle this.” And she waved the first officer off as she stepped into her quarters, the door closing behind her.

Noble Defender said nothing else as he observed Tkaah walking across the room. 

“If you tell me to go away and leave you alone in  **my** quarters, with  **my** trees, we’re going to have problems,” she warned him as she stood beneath Noble Defender’s favourite tree.

“When are the orders going out?” he finally acquiesced to having a conversation, though his tone became devoid of any trace of emotion after his earlier outburst.

“Five minutes ago?” Tkaah ventured a guess as she leaned against the tree next to Noble Defender’s, “You know how impatient the Captain can get.”

An attempt at communication through the Concordance was made but Noble Defender ignored it. “Speak of the devil,” he muttered to himself.

“How long do you think you can get away with ignoring him?” Tkaah asked casually as she looked up to the foliage.

“Not for very long,” Noble Defender admitted, “I just...I need a minute to breathe.” 

“It got pretty intense out there, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, it did.” It was tough but Noble Defender managed to keep his tone even, hoping Tkaah would drop the conversation.

While having struggled with empathy and the concept of friendship in the past, Tkaah also really bonded with Noble Defender in the five years since the Great Battle of Limbworld. At first, it had been weird, but out of everyone in the Screaming Valor, Noble Defender had been the one who made friendship work with her. As she learned empathy from his example, she became comfortable with welcoming him into her world and shared her space with him.

“Something happened to you out there and you don’t have to tell me about it, but we do need you on task for installations.”

“I know,” came the quiet reply, nearly inaudible.

“And I hate to push this, but we have to get moving.”

“I know,” Noble Defender echoed his earlier response, his voice still flat and devoid of emotion but slightly louder than before.

“So I know I’m not the best at this friendship thing but I know that it goes both ways,” Tkaah pointed out, “You know you can tell me anything. You’ve always been the one to have my back. Let me take this one. If you’re not going to let Nydar help, maybe we should talk?”

“No, not now, Tkaah…”

Before the Limb could say another word, she found herself face to face with her friend, who had jumped down from the tree.

“Okay, let’s go.”

As Noble Defender turned and walked towards the door, Tkaah responded, “Before you walk out that door, tell me this: who’s going to hear you out, your brother? No one understands you better than I do, Noble Defender.”

Stopping in his tracks, Noble Defender turned to face Tkaah right before he crossed the doorway.

“Five years. We’ve been out of place together for five years. You thought that we could spend time not belonging together, remember that? That’s what you said to me after the Battle of Limbworld.”

“We’re different though; you know where you came from but I don’t.”

Tkaah simply told him, “Then go find out.”

Taking her words in, Noble Defender told her,  “We should go. The Captain’s waiting.” And then he led Tkaah out of the room without another word.


End file.
